How To Get There
by vegetasbubble
Summary: College student Sookie Stackhouse is in her final year of college with friends Amelia and Tara. Amelia finds a new club and manages to get the girls to have a night out. There she meets a sexy bartender who sweeps her off her feet. But with Sookie's past history of bad relationships, can she trust him? All Human. Not Beta read so no flames / nasty comments please. Reviews welcome.


**Title**: How to Get There

**Author**: vegetasbubble

**Summary**: College student Sookie Stackhouse is in her final year of college with friends Amelia and Tara. Amelia finds a new club and manages to get the girls to have a night out. There she meets a sexy bartender who sweeps her off her feet. But with Sookie's past history of bad relationships, can she trust him? All Human.

**Rating:** M

**Contains:** Sexual References, Coarse Language, Drug References, Sex Scenes and some Violence.

**Authors Notes:** Though based on the characters from the novels and the TV series, this story is mainly focused on the novels and uses characters from there. I am also just letting you all know that I am an Australia writing the mind of an American college student so if I get some things wrong, just let me know and I'll change it. This fic has not been beta read. At this stage, it's a story written for fun so I'm not getting it beta read. Reviews and comments are well enjoyed and received and I enjoy reading every one but please don't comment with the need and desire to have the story beta read. I will ignore and delete your comments.

/ **ONE – SPOV** /

Sigmund Freud once said "_The great question that has never been answered, and which I have not yet been able to answer, despite my thirty years of research into the feminine soul, is "What does a woman want_?" Well, I can't answer for every single woman on the Earth, but I can answer for myself. I want a good paying job, one that allows for sleep-ins on weekends. I want a nice man in my life, one who gives me the love I deserve. What I don't want is to still be up at two-am researching for psychology papers and surviving eight hours lectures with only a few hours' sleep and cups of coffee from the cafeteria. What I don't want is to rethink the last four years of my life and wonder if I had stayed back in my home town of Bon Temps with my brother and my Gran and enjoy the life I was given, even if that meant waitressing at the local bar.

Groaning heavily, I deleted the last paragraph I wrote. Eyeing the question "Why You?" was getting to be rather difficult, even after four years of school. The light from my laptop screen was starting to do funny things to my eyes and its when this happens that I begin to realise that maybe I need some sleep. 1:37 is the time, flashing at me from the clock radio sitting on my desk. I wonder why the college dorms still have these old clocks when we're in the technology age and the time is right on my phone and I set my alarm from there as well.

Stop procrastinating, Sookie, I scold myself and turn back to my paper. My name is Sookie Stackhouse, I type, and I have no 'effing clue. Its not like I have no idea on what I want to do with my life, its that I think I'm in a rut. Four years of lectures and papers and exams and faking that I am enjoying spending time with people who obviously don't want to get to know me is starting to get to me. In my full four years here, I have stuck with the same friends, the same lecturers and the same topic. Unlike most people, who swap and change their major almost five times before finally decided what they want to do, I stuck with psychology because it is was interested me.

I think I was ten when I first asked my Gran "And how does that make you feel?" to which she replied with a slap on the wrist with the wooden spoon she had been using to mix muffin batter with. Gran raised me and my older brother Jason. My parents died when we were young, a flash flood Gran said, and we've lived with her ever since. Jason is a sheriff deputy back in Bon Temps and is still, even at twenty-seven, the most eligible bachelor in our small town. Gran scowls him relentlessly about the number of women he brings home, Jason juts flashes her a smile and says he'll see her in the morning. Usually with washing to do or to have some breakfast.

Unlike Jason, who never wants to leave his town because he loves it to high-heaven, I left for college the minute I graduated from High School. Louisiana State University, or LSU as we college kids called it, may not have been my first choice but it was still far enough away to move out of home and still close enough to come home on weekends. Jason had helped me move my stuff in one weekend and I had managed to share a dorm with two other girls – Amelia Broadway and Tara Thornton. We met at the dorms and found out we were all taking psychology, which allowed the three of us to form a tight bond. While Tara and I had both grown up in Louisiana, Amelia came from New Orleans, which was a change of pace for us country girls.

While Tara and I could brag about being brought up with manners and learning how to cook and clean proper for our families and future husbands, Amelia had, by the ripe of age of nineteen, managed to have had sex with as many men as possible, try any drug that was available and had travelled to countries I hadn't even known existed. It was all during her gap year, the year she had taken off after graduating, when all this had happened but when her strict lawyer parents had found out – mainly due to the multiple topless photos she had been tagged in on Facebook – they had given her an ultimatum. Go to college or get kicked out. Amelia chose college though her parents were obviously pretty oblivious to what goes on at colleges.

There were out differences for sure, but the three of us bonded and had fun together. Amelia was always one for trying out new things and was so into the party scene of LSU it wasn't funny. The girl may be obsessed with sex but she was very particular with her calendar. She would have everything booked down to the closest half and hour and her phone was just as crazy, everyone was named very precisely.

It was on this particular night, where Sigmund Freud was giving me the finger (not literally, mind you) when Amelia pushed the door open and smiled widely. Our room, though fit for three people, was small and even though we each had our own rooms, we could barely fit any personal things in. Like Tara and Amelia, I had my laptop set up on a small oak desk Gran had gotten me as a graduation present in the dining/lounge area.

"Morning, Sook," Amelia grinned, drunk and ready for sleep. It was Friday night (well, Saturday morning now) and like most girls her age, Amelia went out each Friday night to experience the college lifestyle. When I had asked her where she was going tonight, she had simply grinned and said, "A kegger," before slipping on her sandals and skipping out the door.

"Amelia, its almost two in the morning, we have neighbours you know," I mentioned with my hand and Amelia made an annoyed sound and slumped down on the sofa we had sitting in the lounge. She threw her sandals, which had been in her hand, and purse to the floor.

"Oh Sook, when are you going to lighten up girl?" she questioned me and I quirked an eyebrow so high it almost disappeared into my hairline.

"Sigmund Freud, psychology report, Why Me? Remember?" Amelia looked at me like I was talking in another language and shook her hand at me.

"That's not due til Monday."

"Have you started it?" I asked her, getting another look.

"Nope." Amelia was the type of girl who left everything to the last minute, especially her reports. Unlike Tara and I, who were solely focused on our education and didn't mind missing one or two "keggers," Amelia would stay out all night and write her assignment the night before, hand it in and get an A. It was insane; I don't know how she did it.

"Would you two seriously shut the fuck up?" Tara gruffed, appearing in her doorway looking half asleep. Looking how I felt, actually. "Its almost two in the morning, I have work at ten. I would, at least, like to try and get some sleep. Not all of us live off Daddy's credit cards." It was true, though I didn't like it admit it. Tara and I had both been accepted to LSU on scholarships while Amelia's parents were paying for everything. Tara had this thing where she felt like she should bring it up whenever Amelia was acting like a spoilt brat. This was one of those times.

"Oh Tara, seriously, white trash doesn't suit you," Amelia responded, standing and collecting her things. Tara frowned at our shared friend as she disappeared into her own room, the sound of light snoring soon reaching our ears.

"That girl pisses me off sometimes," Tara spoke, crossing her arms and coming to stand beside me. She eyed the screen and narrowed her eyes, "Sookie, you're not handing that in are you?" My eyes flashed to the screen and I noticed the "'effing" remark was still there. Shaking my head I quickly deleted it.

"No, just stuck," I said, watching the small line in the document blink over and over, silently telling me to get over it and just type.

"Hey, it's late and we both have work tomorrow. Get some sleep and tackle it tomorrow. You'll feel better," she smiled, making me feel a little better about myself. I nodded and closed my computer, stood up and stretched my hands up over my head. I said goodnight to Tara, entered my room and closed the door. I made my way to the bed, the short distance being covered in a few seconds and threw myself on the comfortable mattress. Pulling the covers up, I grinned at the feeling of them warmth around me before soon drifting off to la-la-land.

The next morning I awoke to furious knocking on my door. "Sookie Stackhouse you get up this minute, we are going to be late for work!" I bolted out of bed, realising I hadn't set an alarm the night before. I grab a change of clothes and dash out the door and into the bathroom before Tara can even say anything. Fifteen minutes later and we're out the door, down the stairs and into my small yellow car, off to the office job we both work at.

Psychology majors like Tara and I are required to take part-time jobs in offices or office-like environments. We both managed to somehow get jobs at the psychology office of Dr. Austin Woo, a Vietnamese psychologist who was the guest speak at our end of year seminar last year, allowing Tara and I to meet him and get the jobs. In the few months we had been working for him, Dr. Woo had helped with a majority of our reports. He was a remarkable man and not to bad on the eyes as well. Tara was his assistant and I was the receptionist on Saturdays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. We shared the job with two other women who had kids and wanted some days off to spend time with them.

By midday, I was knee deep in phone calls and file work that I hadn't taken the time to notice that Tara had been standing in front of my desk for almost five minutes. "Sookie, its after midday. We're done. Hang up the phone," she said, taking the phone from my hand and putting it back on the receiver, "and put down the files," she mentioned while grabbing the stack of papers in my hand and putting the in the "TO DO" pile I shared with the other receptionist. "Its Saturday. Come on." Nodding I quickly grabbed my handbag and headed down the stairs, in my car and back to the college.

Amelia was sitting on the couch, doing her toenails, watching some Spanish soap opera when we got home. "You know," she said, as she painted her big toe, "You don't have to work all the time." Tara didn't say anything but headed for her bedroom. She still must have been pissed off about the whole white trash comment. "Sookie, I have a great idea. Last night I met this great guy, His name's Alcide and he's a Beta Phi. They're having a party tonight, exclusive to a club in Shreveport. Wanna come?"

"You were invited?" I asked her; shocked that Amelia had actually accepted a guys date. She's usually a love-em-and-leave-em kind of girl.

"Alcide is smokin' hot," she replied, smiling at me, "Besides, you haven't been out to a good party in a long time."

"That's because I don't want to fail my classes," I snapped back at her.

"Honey, you're never going to fail. You're going to pass with flying colours, graduate, go on to meet some fantastic and amazing man, get the job of your dreams and get married. Full stop. Done. Life."

"Its not that easy Ames," I said, using the nickname Tara and I had thought up a few years back. She cringed at the name and continued.

"Sweetie, come on. It'll be good for you. You haven't had a date or an interested guy in a while. Not since Bill anyway." As soon as she said it she realised her mistake.

Bill Compton was my arse of an ex who I had started dating at the beginning of our second year. He was older, a senior at the time, majoring in law and a part of the Alpha Tri house. He noticed me in the library one night, around ten o'clock when I had stumbled out of a section after stubbing my toe. He had helped me to my chair, flashed me an award-winning smile and used his sweet Southern charm on me. Mind you, I used my Southern charm straight back at him and we spent the next few hours chatting. We ended up going out for dinner and soon started kissing like there was no tomorrow. At the end of my second year, Bill graduated and asked if we could stay together, even though he would be moving to New Orleans with his father's practice. I had wholeheartedly agreed and we had also agreed to weekend visits.

On one particular weekend, the Friday before when I was packing to head up, Bill called and said he was sick and didn't want me to catch anything. Even though I had agreed, I felt bad for my boyfriend being sick and alone in his apartment and headed up anyway to help him. I reached Bill's modest apartment and used my key to quietly unlock the door, afraid to wake him should he be in bed. What greeted me was NOT a sick boyfriend but instead a sick bastard who had been caught.

Lorena Krasiki her name was. She was foreign, it was easy to tell and though Bill had tried to argue with me that it was a one-time thing I would soon go on to discover it had been happening for almost our entire relationship. She had smiled that sick, I fucked your boyfriend, smile at me and I had left straight away. Bill had tried to call me back but I just jumped in the cab and drove home. Amelia and Tara had stayed up with me all night, not mentioning his name, just sitting with me watching trashy teenage romances on TV. I hadn't heard from Bill in almost a year.

"Oh sweetie, I'm so sorry," she said, jumping off the couch, "I didn't mean to,… I'm just worried. You need to move on anyway. He's a waste of air." I nodded and smiled at my friend as she hugged me.

"I suppose a party isn't that bad of an idea." Amelia squealed when she heard my response and quickly grabbed her cell phone and sent a text.

"Great, we're on the list. See if you can convince Miss Moody Pants to join us too," she said, mentioning to Tara's door. Tara did end up agreeing to come, mainly to look after us, she had said. Amelia took the longest in the bathroom to get ready while Tara and I mainly got ready in the lounge. While Amelia was going for tarty and trashy, Tara and I went for respectful and tasteful. Tara wore skinny jeans and a white top that hugged each and every curve she had. I was sometimes jealous of her figure when I saw my own in the mirror, though they both mentioned I had a "rockin' bod."

I had decided on a sundress, one of many I owned. It was white with yellow flowers stitched into the material. One of my favourite things in life was to watch my Gran make dresses for me as I grew up. Now, I just got them in the mail or after I visited. I never saw her make them anymore. I clipped my long blonde hair up and grabbed a pair of white pumps and a white handbag. Tara said I looked pretty while Amelia stated that I looked like a virgin.

We all managed to climb into the back of a cab at 8:45 and made the twenty-five minute drive into town in mostly silence. Amelia still wouldn't tell us the name of the club, giving the cabbie directions instead of the club name. At almost nine-thirty the cabbie pulled up in front of a huge, loud and obviously popular club. NORSE were the florescent letters above the door where a bouncer, a huge man with a clipboard, stood and let people in one at a time. I smoothed my dress out as Amelia paid the cabbie. She always insisted on paying when we went out, which wasn't very often on Tara's and my behalfs.

While Tara and I made our way to the end of the line, Amelia grabbed us and walked straight up to the bouncer. "Amelia Broadway – party of three?" His eyes flicked over us before looking at his board. He nodded, unclipped the rope and Amelia smiled, leading us in. "Its nice to know people," she said as we looked at her confused. Amelia paid the cover charge and we checked out coats. Tara and I had been to mixers and parties at the college but never had we seen anything like this. NORSE was like it was straight out of an erotic novel. There were stages with poles for girls to dance on, cages up higher for employees to dance in and red velvet covering each and every inch of the place.

"Great huh?" Amelia said, leading us in. We followed her in, dumbstruck and continued to eye the club. Amelia squealed as she started waving furiously. Tara and I watched as a large man stood from a table and waved us over. That must be Alcide, I thought to myself as we made our way over, Amelia leading the way. "Hey guys," she said, so sweetly it almost made me vomit, "Thanks for inviting us. These are my friends – Sookie and Tara." The two other men at the table seemed to eye us both equally. I suddenly felt very naked. "Where are the rest of your friends?" Amelia asked, making me wonder how big this party was going to be. I had also noticed a slight loudness in Amelia's voice and realised it must have been because of the music.

"Dancin'," the one named Alcide answered, pointing to the large dance floor where a number of men and women were gyrating with each other. I eyed Tara who rolled her eyes. We watched as Amelia made her way through the booth the boys were sitting at and sat ever so gently, against Alcide's side, his arm automatically reaching around her.

"I need a drink," I muttered to Tara who nodded and followed me towards the bar. As we reached it, Tara and I couldn't believe how busy it was. There were what felt like a million people all shouting their drink orders to the many bar staff behind the bar. "We're never going to get served," I said to Tara who kept trying to raise her hand. I pushed through some people, who swore or gave me the finger, as I tried to get closer.

"What'll you have?" a voice beside me asked and I looked up to see a dark haired man in a pair of jeans and a LSU basketball jersey. His blue eyes bore into mine.

"Gin and tonic?" I asked, holding my hand up to signal for two. He nodded and shouted the order to the bar staff. A minute later he handed us our drinks. "Wow, thanks."

"You're welcome. I know the owner, so I get good service. John Quinn," he said, holding his hand out to mine. I took his large hand in a soft grip.

"Sookie Stackhouse, and this my friend Tara. You go to LSU?"

"Used to," he replied, "I majored in sports technology and now I'm coaching a middle school basketball team while also teaching at the High School. You?"

"Majoring in Psych," I replied. He grinned and I swooned. Maybe Amelia was right, maybe it was time for me to date again.

"So what about your friend?" Or not, I thought, as I watched John's eyes roam over Tara, who was sipping her drink and watching the dancing couples.

"Why don't you ask her?" I replied, mentioning for him to speak to Tara. He smiled and jumped off his bar stool, mentioned for me to take it and made his way over to Tara. I smiled as I watched my friend get flirted with and, hey, was that an ass grab?

"John's a flirt," a voice behind me boomed, "Better watch your friend." I spun around on the stool and caught eyes with Mr. Norse himself. The blond man behind the bar was a gorgeous hunk-a-bee who had deep blue eyes and a fantastic smile. His high cheekbones and slight stubble made my legs feel like jelly. And was that a slight accent I noticed. "Another drink?" he asked, pointing to my now empty glass. I handed it to him and another soon found its place. I grinned as I took the glass from his hand, our fingers touching ever so slightly. "So, I know this sounds crazy, but are you busy in like," he checked his watch, "fifteen minutes?" I shook my head and took a sip. "Cool. My shift ends in fifteen so do you mind waiting here?"

"Of course not," I said, realising they were the first words I had spoken to him. He grinned and leaned across the bar and whispered in my ear, "Great," and grinned at me when he lent back. I smiled back at him and watched him hold out his hand. "Eric Northman." I replied in kind, my small hand in his large one. "Sookie Stackhouse." He grinned once last time before he made his way to the other end of the bar to take orders.

My eyes soon found Tara and John, who were now moving ever so slightly to the music, John's arms around her hips while her's found his neck. I was certain that Tara was going to kiss him. I then snuck a look over to the booth where Amelia was and saw her kissing the large Alcide, his hands roaming over her arms. In the minutes the passed by, I found myself watching the other people around me. I knew how Tara and Amelia operated, though the psych major in me was now watching these strangers in great interest. As I watched them all, their movements with each other and the body language they were projecting, I failed to notice another body by my side.

"Hey sweet thing, buy you a drink?" the person asked and I held in the sigh I wished to release. He was a normal school jock and I remembered him from around the campus and noticed he was one of the boys who had been sitting in the booth with Alcide.

"No thanks," I said, my eyes still on the crowd.

"Come on baby," he said drunkenly, his hand touching my shoulder, "Just one drink."

"I said no," I snapped, putting my drink down on the bar, jumping off the stool and making my may towards Tara. The guy grabbed my arm and pulled me back against him.

"How about a dance then?" he asked, grinding against my body. When would guys learn that guys didn't like drunk idiots throwing themselves at us.

"Fuck off," I snapped, louder and hoping someone heard me. His eyes narrowed and he pulled me harder against him.

"Fuckin' bitch," he slurred and I was sure I had made a mistake.

"The girl said fuck off," a voice said and it made my heart flutter. Norse himself, Eric had had called himself, was behind us, arms crossed over a very large, very board chest - one that made this guy look small and insignificant. The guy leered at Eric and pulled me against him again. I made a small sound and Eric narrowed his eyes. "Let her go now. Or I'll call security."

"Oooohh…., tough guy gonna call security huh?" the guy joked and I could tell by the look Eric was shooting him, this wasn't going to end well, "Who the fuck do you think you are buddy?"

Eric stepped closer and lowered his face, since he was so tall, to the guys. I could smell his cologne and swooned. "I own the club," he whispered, and mentioned with his hand for some guy to come forward. In an instant the guy's hand was off me as the larger one escorted him out of the club. I watched as the guy was led away and my eyes flicked to the blond beside me.

"Owner huh?" I asked, "That's how you know John." He smiled and took a step forward.

"You okay then, Miss Stackhouse?" I smiled and nodded, patting down my dress and hair. "Good. So, can I buy you a drink?"

My night was looking up.

/ **END CHAPTER** /

So, there we go. Chapter one of my new story. No idea how this is going to end but I will find an ending, eventually. I imagine Sookie would take Psych, but that's just me. Remember, this fic is not Beta read so please don't send reviews / comments about the grammar and such. I only get fics I write for assignments beta read, If you don't like that then don't read / comment on the content I am presenting you with. For those who already follow me, yes I know I shouldn't be starting a new story but this idea seemed fun so I just rolled with it. Thanks for reading.


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